A little swipe from Piers

OH BOY, oh boy, Piers Wauchope’s book on the history of Camden politics will be with us soon. Call me a geek but I can’t wait to see a copy. The former leader of the Conservatives in Camden goes live on Monday. But apparently it’s not just Labour politicians who will be scanning it carefully for any unwanted attention and those deliciously catty comments that Piers is famous for. Apparently there is a swipe at the Camden New Journal too. First of, Piers accuses the newspaper of ‘helping the Lib Dems’ and then insists the paper had a change of heart and made an unsubtle swing behind Labour in the final weeks before the 2006 boroughwide elections.

Harumph!

Tell that to Labour’s Dame Jane Roberts, the ex-leader whose irritation with the CNJ’s reporting was rarely masked. And John Thane, once pictured with his head on a dinosaur in a mock-up cartoon. And Raj Chada, who was labelled ‘a playground snatcher’ and ‘a sports car driving lawyer’. And Phil Turner, in charge of swimming pools when the campaign to save Kentish Town Baths broke. And Jake Sumner, whose walkaround with former Home Secretary Charles Clarke to showcase crime fighting successes in Camden Town was in Wauchope’s own words ‘ambushed’ by the CNJ. And Jonathan Simpson, who was cartoonised as a ditherer when he defected from the Lib Dems.. ..and so on, and so on..